Path of the Samurai
by dragonupgost
Summary: Naruto is finally going home after three years of traveling the world as a Ronin. What has changed about him and what has stayed the same? Is he still the same young Samurai he was when he left or has the world changed him for the worst? Part three in my "Samurai" stories.
1. Chapter 1

Kirigakure had been the home land of Zabuza Momochi and his student Haku. During his time as a member of the legendary Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, Zabuza had attempted to overthrow the Mizukage but in the end, he failed. Years later, he fought a young man who was at the crossroads of his life and it was because of Zabuza and Haku that this young warrior set down a dangerous path. Better he had died that day then be forced to endure the horrors of war and the pain of loss that he would no doubt feel in life. This young man was named Naruto Namikaze, the son of Minato Namikaze, and he would become both the rebirth of the Samurai and the death of the Shinobi, if kept down his current path.

It had been three years since the rogue Sannin, Orochimaru, had experimented on Naruto, and just weeks after returning home, he left once again. He had completed the deal he made with his father and as such, Minato allowed him to retire from being a Shinobi and travel as a wandering Ronin but on the promise that he return home within at least three years. Naruto had traveled from the Land of Earth to the Land of Water and everything in-between but in the end, he decided to stay in the Land of Water. It was there he met the rebels, which fought to bring peace to their country, and the Shinobi of Kirigakure, who fought to kill anyone with a Kekkei Genkai. Now Naruto stood side by side with the rebel leader herself, Mei Terumi, as they faced the deciding battle of the bloody civil war.

Over the years Naruto has grown, he now stood about six-foot-six-inches, and had improved greatly from the rookie he had been when he originally left Konohagakure. Naruto had abandoned his dark colored kimono for a similar one consisting of the bottom being blue and the top being a burnt orange color. Over the years, he had allowed his hair to grow out, considering he cut it short before he left all those years ago, and it was now tied back in a ponytail that reached his mid back. Strapped to his side was his original katana but it was been melted down and forged once again, after breaking in a battle, using the unique metal reserved for the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu. Now instead of the blade glowing in the light, its new black blade seemed to consume the light. His bright blue eyes show from under his long bangs, which weren't held back by his ponytail, giving him an aura of mystery.

"You can always turn back now Naruto-kun, they don't know your face and for that they won't know it's you that has killed so many of them," said Mei as she looked out over the, soon to be war-torn, field to the massive army on the other side.

The wind blew ever so gently past him before Naruto finally decided to respond. "No I will stay just as I promised to when we first met two and a half years ago,"

Mei couldn't help the small smile, that crept onto her red lips, as she remembered that day when Naruto had stumbled upon one of the bloodiest battles the rebellion has ever fought. He had no idea what had been going on and yet he still decided to fight by her side on a _feeling_ of all things. Back then he had been shorter so he was much bulkier, from his muscles, but now he was much slimmed and still held all the power if not more.

"That you did Naruto-kun, and we are forever grateful to you for that," said Mei as they began to walk towards the center of the field where the young, and deranged, Mizukage stood waiting for them.

"I see you have found a new play thing since I killed the last one," said the Jinchuriki of the Sanbi, Yagura.

"I'm honored to meet you Yagura-dono," said Naruto in a suddenly humble and polite manner.

"At least he has manners but at to the reason we are all here. I will give you all this one chance to surrender and come along peacefully," said Yagura.

"Funny I was just about to suggest the same thing to you. We both know that only one of us is going to leave here today and I'm willing to die to make sure it isn't you," said Mei while Yagura remained relatively calm despite how much taller and more threatening she was.

"Brave words from someone who is less than human but if you want an honorable death instead of a public execution then I will indulge you. You one the other hand don't appear to be originally from here so I give you this one chance to leave or be killed with the rest of them," spat Yagura before he turned around and began the short trip back to his own, much larger, army.

"Looks like we have to fight Naruto-kun, are you sure you want to attack first?" asked Mei as she turned around and faced her own army.

"I'm sure," said Naruto with a kind smile and with a small nod, Mei also walked back to her army leaving Naruto standing in-between the two opposing forces.

'Be careful Naruto-kun,' Mei thought as Naruto began to calmly walk towards the army of Kirigakure.

With each step he took, Naruto's features became more and more serious and his steps grew faster to the point he was sprinting towards them. While his left hand held his sword still, in its sheath, his body lowered and he began to move even faster. Yagura saw the Ronin running at his army and just figured he would allow his men to butcher the insane teenager before he slaughtered the rebels. The first Shinobi, Naruto was going to come in contact with, prepared himself but in the time it took him to put up his guard, Naruto was already past him with his katana drawn. Suddenly the five people next to the man, including the man himself, fell down with their bodies cut in half at their midsection.

Naruto didn't even speak as he blurred through ten more men, that also fell down in half, and before long the Kirigakure army finally got knocked out of their shock. As they focused on the sword wielding demon, that was cutting through their ranks, Mei and her own army charged forward to attack while the Kirigakure Shinobi were distracted. While charging forward, Mei couldn't help but to admire the speed and deadliness that Naruto showed on the battlefield but at the same time she knew he wasn't invincible.

"Come on we can't let Supīdo kyō win this war for us!" yelled Mei just before her army slammed into Yagura's with enough force to plow into their back ranks.

That final battle had been the most ruthless and cruel battle of the entire civil war. Thousands died, on both sides, but in the end, Yagura fled from the battlefield and the Kirigakure Shinobi surrendered to the rebels. Mei discovered that Naruto himself had ended up killing a large portion of the army as a hole, because most of the dead Kirigakure Shinobi were cut cleanly in half at the waist. Naruto stood in the center of hundreds of bodies, with almost every inch of his body covered in blood not his own, and while others cheered in victory, he remained completely silent.

"Finally, it's over," Naruto whispered to himself as he raised his blade high into the air before stabbing it into the ground.

Naruto then turned around and began his journey without so much as saying "Good bye" to the people he had fought alongside for the past two and a half years.

"Mei-sama, Naruto-sama is gone," reported one of her soldiers who had seen Naruto walking off into the distance.

"He never was one to participate in victory celebrations but I have a feeling that we'll be seeing him again sooner than we think," said Mei as she looked off in the direction that Naruto had left in. Mei gave a sad smile before blowing a kiss in Naruto's direction, in the hope that it would someday reach him, and with a single tear escaping her eyes, she turned back to help organize her troops.

Four months later, Naruto could be seen walking, down a very large dirt road, in the direction of Konohagakure no Sato. He had sent a letter several days ago stating that he would be arriving sometime today. Over the last four months, Naruto still looks mostly the save accept for the straw hat he now wore and the added addition to his person. Strapped to his waist was a new katana, instead of the one he left back in the Land of Water, but this one appeared to be a simple katana compared to the legendary one he use to have.

'This forest never changes, it still has that soothing breeze, and the rich smell of nature,' Naruto thought to himself with a peaceful smile on his face as a light breeze blew around him in a majestic manner.

Naruto's sixth sense for danger suddenly flared up and just when it did several familiar, Shinobi shot past him in the direction of Konohagakure. However, just as the last one shot past him, her foot caught the back of his leg, causing them both to fall to the ground. The girl clearly didn't recognize him considering she immediately got back up, apologized, and ran to catch up with the other Shinobi. Naruto on the other hand slowly stood up, placed his straw hat back on his head, and continued walking as if nothing had happened,

"Still so energetic, Natsumi-chan,"

Well this is part three of my "Samurai" stories so review and give me your ideas!


	2. Home is where the Heart is

'Hm even after all of these years this village hasn't changed in the slightest,' thought Naruto, as he walked through the crowded streets of Konohagakure no Sato, with his straw hat hiding any of his facial features.

In the massive crowd that shuffled through the Konohagakure, Naruto was nothing more than a phantom, a forgettable person, or someone you would bump into at random. Despite how strangely he dressed, he just seemed to blend in as if was never there in the first place. Naruto figured he would wander through his home village and familiarize himself with the village once again, before going to meet his father at the Hokage tower. As he shifted through the village, Naruto found himself standing in front of a small shop named "Dangoya" and, as if sensing the food, Naruto's stomach gave off a small rumble showing that it was hungry. Naruto hummed to himself before deciding he would get something to eat before going to meat Minato at his office and after checking his coins, Naruto walked into the small shop.

"Ah, hello sir, what can I get for you?" asked a rather lively young woman from behind the counter as Naruto removed his straw hat to reveal some of his facial features.

"One stick of Dango, please," said Naruto in a kind and reserved tone, while putting three bronze coins on the counter to pay for his snack.

"Are you new in town stranger-san?" asked a very familiar voice that Naruto couldn't seem to place.

"Me?" Naruto asked as he turned around to face the female voice, which was apparently talking to him.

"Anko-chan leave him alone to enjoy his food," chastised another female, who stood directly behind Anko.

'Anko? Wasn't that the name of that instructor during the Chunin Exams?' Naruto thought to himself before the woman behind the counter got his attention before handing him his stick of Dango.

"Oh come on Kurenai-chan, I'm sure he would love to spend a little time with me. Wouldn't you stranger-_kun_?" asked Anko while adding a seductive tone to her voice near the end but Naruto just stood there dumbly with his stick of Dango.

'She doesn't appear to recognize me and I do have a little time to kill,' Naruto thought before giving the loosely dressed woman a small nod and a smile that could melt ice.

"You're going to regret this, trust me," said Kurenai and, while it wasn't a threat, Naruto seemed to believe her completely.

"So what _is_ your name, stranger-san?" asked Anko as she dragged Naruto over to where she and Kurenai were sitting to enjoy their own snack.

"Naruto," said Naruto while to took a small bight of his Dango and savored the sweet taste it left in his mouth.

"Well the stick-in-the-mud over here is Kurenai-chan and I'm the sexy and single Anko Mitarashi," introduced Anko while Kurenai glared lightly at her friend and Naruto paused from eating his snack.

"You're a very interesting person Anko-dono," Naruto stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was to anyone that knew the purple haired woman.

"Eh, I'll take that as a compliment Naruto-kun. Wait a second I know that name from somewhere," said Anko as she looked down at the ground, in her thinking pose, but when she looked back up at Naruto, she found he had already finished his Dango stick.

"Wow you ate that thing really fast," said Anko.

"Yes and in the world of killing, speed determines the winner. Wouldn't you say, Anko-dono?" asked Naruto before he calmly got up from his seat, gave both women a small bow of respect, and walked out of the Dango shop. It was also at this moment Anko's memory kicked in and all she could do was stare, in the direction he had left, with wide eyes.

"No fucking way!" exclaimed Anko, while catching everyone attention in the shop.

"Anko-chan, language!" yelled Kurenai, not understanding why her best friend just cursed for no reason.

(With Naruto)

When Naruto thought about it, it really wasn't a good idea to give Anko that little hint as to who he was because then she would know where to look for him. If she knew where to look for him then she would be able to, somehow, convince him to buy Dango for her and she was famous, even when he was a Genin, for getting men to buy wallet-breaking amounts of Dango. However, putting that thought aside, Naruto found himself standing in front of the Hokage building and the moment he would once again see his father. So, not wanting to waist anymore time, Naruto walked inside the large building and began his trip up the stairs towards Minato's office.

"I'm here to see Hokage-sama," said Naruto to the female secretary, who glanced up at him.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked while eyeing his katana strapped to his waist.

"Oro, sorry but I don't. Please tell him that "Naruto" is here to see him and that should be enough," said Naruto in a polite voice and with an annoyed sigh the woman stood up from her desk and walked over to the door that led to the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama a man by the name of Naruto is here to see you," she said and after a series of loud crashes, followed by the sound of Minato landing roughly on the ground, then none other than Kushina Namikaze shot out of Minato's office, grabbed Naruto, before finally pulling him back into the office.

"Why couldn't I have a stress free job?" the woman asked herself before sitting back down at her desk.

"My little Naruto-chan has finally returned!" Kushina screamed in happiness as she hugged her son so tight that his face was turning blue.

"O-Okaasan can't breathe," cried Naruto as his mother's, surprisingly monstrous, strength was crushing him more and more.

"Kushina-chan let him go before you kill our only son," said Minato but Naruto could tell his father found it funny to watch Naruto being crushed by the woman who gave birth to him. Kushina finally released her half-dead son but once she saw him like that, she panicked and proceeded to hug him more and even tighter than before. Minato finally calmed down his wife and, after helping Naruto back up, the proceeded to take their places in the old office.

"It's good to have you back Naruto-chan, we've all missed you," said Minato while wondering why Naruto was currently tilting his head down so his yellow bangs covered his eyes.

"Thank you Otousan, I've missed this place a lot," said Naruto.

"So where have you been Naruto-chan? We didn't get any letters from you after you left on your trip and we were beginning to worry that something might have happened to you," said Kushina but Naruto's head only seemed to lower even more.

"For a while I traveled through the other lands and even stopped in the Land of Iron to learn more about the Samurai. However, for the better part of the last three years, I've actually been in the Land of Water," Naruto informed them while concern filled Kushina's eyes.

"But isn't there a civil war going on there?" she asked.

"Yes until a few months ago there was and up until then I was there helping the people. It was there I learned the horrors of war that no history books could teach me and I even have a few scars now to prove I've made mistakes along the way,"

"Ok if we're going to talk about your trip then Natsumi-chan should be involved. After all, she has been bothering us the last month as to when you would be returning, so it's only right that we discuss this with her as well. Kushina-chan, why don't you take Naruto-chan, so Natsumi-chan could see him, while I finish up work here," Minato suggested and with nothing else to say, Naruto stood up and left the office without even saying a single word.

"Minato-kun, does something seem off about Naruto-chan?" asked Kushina after Naruto had left the office.

"Yes, but I fear we are going to find out soon,"

(Namikaze Estate)

Naruto calmly stood in front of his place of birth but for some reason he felt like there was suddenly a knot in his stomach. Memories of his child hood flashed through his mind but most of them were from when he watched his parents pay attention to Natsumi. Spending years in a war taught Naruto that he shouldn't hold onto things like that but he still felt bitter towards them for doing it none the less.

"So what do you think Naruto-chan? Still the same as when you left?" asked Kushina in a happy tone, to which Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Um Okaasan, does Haku-chan still live here?" asked Naruto, remembering the teenage girl who had come to save him from Orochimaru's labs along with some others.

"Yep and I even think she's making lunch, if your hungry," Kushina said as they both walked towards the door but just before they got there, Naruto her the sound of someone moving quickly on the other side and just before he even touched door it suddenly swung open.

"Kushina-sama, lunch is ready," said none other than an older looking version of Haku.

"Well I hope you made extra because we have a very special guest," said Kushina as she swung her arm around her, much taller, son's shoulder.

"Oh, my apologies I didn't know we would be having a guest. I'll go make some more right away!" exclaimed Haku before she quickly took off back towards the kitchen without even realizing it was Naruto who had been standing in front of her. Kushina couldn't help but laugh at the confused expression on Naruto's face, well she could have but she just didn't want to. A moment later Naruto walked inside the large estate, while removing his straw hat, and a moment later Natsumi rushed passed him towards the kitchen. However, just like in the forest, her leg caught on his and they both went crashing to the ground.

"Ouch my head," groaned Natsumi as she sat up only to find she was actually sitting in the man who she crashed into earlier that day.

"You know, you're still very loud Natsumi-chan. I thought being a Shinobi would teach you how to be more careful," said Naruto while Natsumi studied his now revealed face, considering his hair had also fallen back revealing who he was, and a moment later, she fainted right on top of him.

"H-Hey, Natsumi-chan wake up," said Naruto as he flipped himself over, so Natsumi was on the ground, and tried to shake his younger sister awake.

"What happened in here?" asked Haku, who had heard the sound of Naruto and Natsumi hitting the ground, but when she also saw it was Naruto, she too passed out.

"Wow Naruto-chan, you have the same effect your father does on women," teased Kushina while Naruto sighed at his current situation.

'Why can't my life ever be simple?'

Well that's the end of Chapter two. I would like to state that Naruto didn't come out of that war without losing something very important to him. Fill free to guess what it was he lost and review!


	3. War Stories

Naruto couldn't help but feel the irony in the fact he was having a peaceful conversation with his mother, who had spent much of his childhood constantly being around Natsumi instead. It left an almost bitter taste in his mouth that the tea in his hands could never hope to wash away, but still he must show respect and be polite to the woman who gave birth to him. Natsumi had woken up, after passing out, and hadn't left her brother's side since, Haku on the other hand seemed to be keeping her distance from the blond Samurai, for reasons yet known.

"Oniisama are you really back for good?" asked Natsumi, drawing Naruto's attention, while the blond Samurai took a small sip of his tea before glancing at his younger sister.

"Yes Natsumi-chan, I'm staying in the village for the foreseeable future. Oh and that reminds me!" Naruto exclaimed, as he searched through his kimono, and pulled out a scroll.

"Over my travels I met some interesting Shinobi, who were rather nice people, and after sharing some stories I managed to convince them to give me these. There is at least one Ninjutsu from each country, in this scroll, and I thought you would enjoy learning them," said Naruto, with a happy smile on his face, as his sister eagerly took the scroll and quickly opened it.

"Natsumi-chan, Naruto-chan just got back! Spend some more time with him, then you can look at the scroll," Kushina scolded, in a not so serious tone, making Naruto chuckle slightly.

"Oniisama, do you have any awesome stories to tell us? I mean you've been gone for a long time so you must have something," said Natsumi, making Naruto pause for a moment with a distant look in his eyes.

* * *

"Have you ever heard of the Supīdo kyō?" asked Naruto, to which all three women in the room stared at him with wide eyes.

"Y-You know the Supido Kyo?" asked Natsumi.

"In a way, I was there for his last battle. It was something that should be both forgotten and remembered."

(Flashback four months ago)

"Looks like we have to fight Naruto-kun, are you sure you want to attack first?" asked Mei as she turned around and faced her own army.

"I'm sure," said Naruto with a kind smile and with a small nod, Mei also walked back to her army leaving Naruto standing in-between the two opposing forces.

'Be careful Naruto-kun,' Mei thought as Naruto began to calmly walk towards the army of Kirigakure.

With each step he took, Naruto slowly began to unsheathe his black blade and the moment he did, the other army immediately recognized who they were about to face. For there was only one man, in their country, that used a black blacker than the night and their first emotion, they felt, was despair. Naruto's aura turned from kind and peaceful to deadly and merciless. The sclera of his eyes was suddenly pitch black, leaving only the bright blue and that only served to drive more fear into their hearts. They each gulped and there was even a woman praying, because they're going to need all the help they could get.

"Damn," whispered Yagura before Naruto took off, at his top speed, and within seconds he had cut down the first man who stood in his way.

Yagura watched as this _**demon**_ carved his way through the mighty army, that was completely loyal to him, and what was even more strange was the fact that Naruto was heading right for him. This also caused Yagura to misplace his attention which also permitted the enemy army to slam right into the crack Naruto had made.

"Huh finally . . . A man worth killing," Yagura said before he also joined in on the fight, flanked by his personal guard.

Naruto had met few who could match him, currently, in both speed and strength. He had hoped that by participating in a war, he would be able to find someone able to push his limits.

"Sen katto," said Naruto and a moment later, five more victims fell to Naruto's black blade.

One of them managed to get their own massive sword within striking distance but Naruto simply cut through that sword, like a hot knife through butter. The man behind the sword was also cut in half but what was strange was the fact that there wasn't even a single drop of blood on Naruto's katana. With all the people he had just killed, there should be at least a little blood and yet there was none. That's because of the metal that they had used when remaking Naruto's katana. Yes it was the same metal that the seven used but it was created from one of those blades.

'Thank you… Zabuza,' thought Naruto as he slammed his foot into a man's face, with enough force to crack his skull, and stabbed another through the throat.

"Die murderer!" yelled one of the more energetic Shinobi, who no doubts wanted to kill Naruto because he killed someone important to him, but that man was only given a quick death.

Naruto heard someone sneaking up behind him and, when he turned, his blade stopped just inches from a young girl's throat. Her eyes were wide with fear, her entire body was practically shaking, and the kunai in her hand dropped to the blood soaked ground. The girl slowly closed her eyes, no doubt expecting to die, but Naruto flipped his sword around and hit her, in the head, with the blunt end. He then removed her head band and covered her in some random blood, just so people would think she was dead.

"Supido Kyo!" yelled Yagura, as he landed a few yards away from the wandering Samurai.

"Mizukage-dono, I'm glad to see you're still alive," said Naruto, ready to defend himself if he is attacked.

"Oh and why is that?" asked Yagura as he prepared to enter his tailed beast mode and crush Naruto like an ant.

"So I can kill you myself."

Yes I know it's short but I'm trying to easy my way back into this type of writing and if I go big then I end up messing up. So review, give ideas if you have them, and PM me if you have questions.


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